Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University men's soccer team is set to face the Davenport Panthers in the first round of the GLIAC playoffs. The match is scheduled for Saturday at 7 PM, with the winner advancing further in the postseason.

The Wildcats have a season record of 2-9-4 overall and 1-6-3 in the GLIAC, while their opponents, the Panthers, hold a 5-4-5 overall record and are 4-3-3 in conference play. Reflecting on their recent encounter with Davenport, NMU's coach Alex Fatovic stated, "Davenport is tough… however, we tied them two weeks ago at their place with two additional starters out… if we can finish some chances that we create, then we're going to be in this game."

Supporters can follow updates via @NMU_Mens_Soccer on X (formerly Twitter).

Key players for NMU include Jan Hoffmann and Cian Tunney, who both lead the team with five points each during the regular season. Fernando Abascal has been notable for his shots on goal tallying one goal and two assists. Goalkeeper Bryce Beckley ranks high in several defensive statistics within the GLIAC.

Davenport recently secured home-field advantage by defeating Purdue Northwest 2-1. Forwards Vitalis Takawira Jr and Andrew Dykstra have been pivotal for Davenport’s offense this season. Bobby Curran stands out as a goalkeeper having been named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week twice.

The Wildcats have faced off against Davenport twice this year already, winning one match and drawing another. In their most recent game two weeks ago, NMU managed a goalless draw despite facing intense pressure from Davenport.

In their last regular-season game, NMU drew 2-2 against St.Cloud State. Casey Miller scored an impressive bicycle kick goal while Finn van den Berg added another through a header before St.Cloud State equalized late in the match.